Super thoughts, and a selection

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This appeared in the paper yesterday, but never made it onto the website:

The Arizona Cardinals enter Super Bowl XLIII with the better story lines: Larry Fitzgerald’s up-and-over-them emergence as the most-feared wide receiver in the game; the latest career reincarnation of quarterback Kurt Warner, at 37 and with his third team; that 61-year drought since these longtime loveable losers won it all, in 1947 while playing in Chicago.

The Seahawks’ NFC West rivals even have some tangible advantages. Like the fact that when Steelers running back Willie Parker breaks through the line he’ll run into Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson, not run away from Super Bowl XL fill-in Etric Pruitt as Parker did on his 75-yard touchdown run in Pittsburgh’s 11-point win over the Seahawks. Like the fact that Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor locks in on receivers in coverage – a dangerous disadvantage when matched up against Fitzgerald, who combined for 23 receptions and a postseason-record 419 yards in the Cardinals’ wins over the Falcons, Panthers and Eagles.

But the Steelers have one thing capable of trumping all this, and even those thoughts that the Cardinals are a team of destiny: Defense.

Not just any defense, but the league’s best defense during the regular season and one coordinated by Dick LeBeau – who has had two weeks to devise a plan to defuse the Cardinals’ explosive passing game.

The key, of course, is unplugging it at the source: Warner.

Pressure Warner and he will make poor decisions. Disrupt the timing of his receivers’ routes and he’s not the same efficient passer. LeBeau’s defense features players who can do both in NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison, fellow linebacker LaMarr Woodley, All-Pro strong safety Troy Polamalu and hard-hitting free safety Ryan Clark.

The Steelers also have Ben Roethlisberger, the best quarterback in the league at finding ways to “win ugly.”